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Here you will find information and guidelines that will help you keep your computer in top shape.
How to Organize Your FilesBy Pearl D. Anderson Programs, documents, music files, photographs, games and all sorts of ‘stuff’ scattered through your computer in haphazard fashion? What to do. Well, you file your files. Select your My Documents Folder: Left-click on your Start button, and then left-click on My Documents (Documents for Windows 7). Make a folder: Right-click your mouse in the My Documents folder. From the drop down menu, choose New and left-click on that. From the next menu, choose Folder. You now have a file folder named New Folder to store your “stuff”. Rename: Now, you right click on your new file folder,and choose Rename. If you want to put your recipe files there, you could rename it “Recipes”. Type in the name you have chosen. Moving files : To put files into the folder, you have two choices. You can “drag” the files to the folder(by placing your cursor on the file, hold down the left mouse button, and drag it over on top of thefolder, then release the mouse button).The second way is to left-click your mouse on the file to highlight it, then look on the left side of your screen. On the menu there you will find both Copy and Move commands. For practice, you should first only Copy your file. (The Copy command makes a duplicate of your file and puts it in thefolder).When you click on Copy, you will be asked where the file is to be sent. (This is why it’s important, especially for beginners, to put your folder someplace easily found. I found it easiest to set up new file folders directly in the My Documents folder.) Choose where to send the file, and at the bottom of the dialog box, click Copy. You aren’t done: Once you understand using file folders, you might want to make a subfolder (A folder within a folder). Essentially, this is the same process as making the original folder. Let’s say in your Recipes file folder you created earlier and you want to specify various meat dishes. Inside your Recipes folder, you right click and choose Folder. Name it (by typing over the text “New Folder”), and you are ready to refine your recipe filing system. In subfolders, you can set up beef, chicken, desserts, or whatever other divisions you wish to make. When you feel you have mastered the process of copying files into folders, you can move files around another way. Both with individual files, and with folders, you can highlight them, and click on Move, (instead of Copy) to tell the computer where you want the file to go. It will disappear from the current location and go to the new file folder location. Batch files: Another helpful trick here is to move more than one file at a time. If you have a number of files together, left-click to highlight the first file, move your cursor over to the last file you want from that batch, hold down the Shift key, then left-click again. The computer will automatically highlight all the files between the first file you marked and the last file you marked. When you Copy or Move your files, it will be a “batch move”, which makes the process much faster, especially if you are sorting out and moving a lot of files. I would strongly suggest you start working with dummy files, or files of little importance until you are comfortable with the process. Windows keyboard shortcutsHere is a short list of keyboard shortcuts you can use to increase your productivity. First, the basics and some terminology. Personally, when I teach the basics, I call a Left-Click ‘Select’, a Double-Left-Click ‘Activate’, and a Right-Click ‘Menu’. But for your reference here, I will just use the abbreviations LC and RC for simplicity.
The following keys can be used when you are looking at files in the Windows Explorer window (My Documents, My Pictures, My Music, My Computer, My Network Places, etc.).
This key can be used anywhere you need to bring up a menu for any selected item.
These keys can be used at any time within a program or in Windows Explorer.
These special keystrokes are used wherever you like.
Make Your PC Work BetterBy Larry Seltzer, Ben Z. Gottesman, Jay Munro, and David Lidsky Top 10 Tips for Tinkering with Your PC
An Easy Backup StrategyBusiness or Pleasure?Your backup strategy will depend upon how valuable your information and programs are to you. Do you keep the company's tax records or just your collection of music files? Here are some basic guidelines: Storing your files
Backing up your files
You notice how simple this plan is? Store all your files in the folder called My Documents and just backup that directory. Everything in it will be saved including all the subfolders you have created to organize your files. Here is an example of a well organized My Documents folder:
Power Supply Problems
Typical areas where these problems can originate are:
How do you protect your electronic components from these problems? Invest in a Surge Suppressor and/or an Uninterruptible Power Supply (UPS). Don't use a Power Strip as a replacement for these devices! A Power Strip is a way of increasing the number of outlets you can use from one wall outlet. It has a fuse that protects against devices drawing too much current from the wall outlet and does not protect against power problems. Basic level protection ($20- $50) (Home use)Surge Suppressor that has:
Better protection ($75- $150) (Small office, Home office)
You can find Surge Suppressors and UPS's at your favorite computer store or online. These are the two leading manufacturers in power conditioning and surge suppressing: Updating Hardware And SoftwareA regular schedule of updates should be maintained for your computer system. The manufacturer of your hardware and/or your software are constantly improving speed & reliability to maintain an edge over their competition. Take advantage of it. Visit them online and see what they can offer you – many times for free. Hardware and Software (every 4 months)Component parts of your system such as video cards, sound cards and modems, as well as secondary storage systems such as removable media devices, scanners, cameras, and network cards should be checked for updates through the manufacturer's website every four months. Download any updates and store them in a subfolder named Hardware Updates in your My Documents folder. Software updates to your favorite programs are available at the manufacturer's website. The time frame for your updating depends on how you search for them. If you are going out to each manufacturer’s website, I recommend a schedule of every four months. If your program automatically checks for updates, then do it every time you use your program. Again, store any updates you get in a subfolder named Software Updates in your My Documents folder. Upgrading Vs. Buying A New ComputerSo you are thinking of upgrading your computer...Maybe you're at that point where you think an upgrade will add new life to your computer, or you just have to have that latest piece of hardware that came on the market. Or maybe you are lusting after that "shiny new computer" on display at your favorite computer store. The decision to either upgrade or purchase a new system isn't that complicated. The most important aspect you must look at is the end result you wish to achieve. Are you looking for a faster system, or more storage space? Or maybe you would like to run more programs at the same time. The most cost-effective upgrade you can do to your system is add additional RAM. This will increase the apparent speed of your programs and allow you to run more programs at the same time. If you have less than 2GB of RAM, consider adding memory. If you are thinking of adding more storage space, think about swapping out your hard drive or adding a second hard drive to store more programs or data files. A rewritable drive makes an excellent storage device for data files you don't use frequently or for pictures and music files. If you are looking to do more that one of these, with the price of low-end systems at the $300-$500 price range, you might want to consider purchasing a newer system. Figuring the cost of parts, time spent installing and troubleshooting, this is often a more effective solution. Shopping For A New ComputerLet's face it, a new computer design is available nearly every week! Looking for one to fit your needs can be very confusing. What is it you are looking for in a new computer?Before you even step out your door to visit your favorite computer store, you should have a basic idea of what you want your new computer to be able to do for you. You will need to do some "wool gathering". Do you want your programs to run faster? Do you want more storage space? Is a bigger monitor what you need? Do you want to take pictures and store them on your computer? Do you want to make movies? Or are you just looking for better speed on the internet? These questions are the start of your quest for finding out what system would be best for your needs. A basic check listCreating a check list of your wants and needs is a good place to start.
By answering basic questions like these, you will get an idea of what you should be looking for. By the way, your salesman should be asking you these questions if he is worth anything. OK, you have an idea on what your new computer should do for you. Now we come to comparing one system to another. Here is a list of minimums you should look for in a new machine. Keep in mind this is a starting point, not a personalized list of shopping features for your particular system.
Options
Of these features, the most important are the monitor and keyboard. As you will be in constant contact with the keyboard and mouse, they better be comfortable for you, and the monitor will be your window to the world, so it better be easy to read. Without these you will be cursing your purchase in the not too distant future. |
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